Welcome to the Career Launch Toolkit, designed to help you get the most out of your professional experience abroad.
First of all, congratulations! You are on your way to an amazing internship overseas. It’s a great way to get invaluable experience and stand out from the crowd. All of us at CIS Abroad have lived or worked internationally, so we know the value, and we work in the field because we took the same steps towards global citizenship that you are taking right now.
Before You Go
Write a Great Resume
A great resume leads to a great internship. You’ll want to highlight your skills, experience, extra curricular activities, and more. Read through our guide for tips on how to build the best resume possible. We also recommend meeting with your Career Services Center as they often give free resume tips and edits.
Internship Orientation
As you are soon to find out, working abroad will require a different skill-set than just taking courses at a university abroad. On a daily basis you are immersed in an international professional workplace with a variety of colleagues who have a different cultural background as well as a different business culture.
While Abroad
Network. Network. Network.
Engage in the local language, set up a blog, and reflect on what you are learning. Your thoughtful answers will help you speak articulately about your international professional experience when you return. Ultimately, the more you put into the internship the more you will gain.
Blog
We highly suggest that you write daily about your experience and answer reflective questions such as:
- What sort of cross-cultural difference are you seeing abroad?
- What new skills are you learning each day?
- What critical incidents have made you grow as a professional?
- How have you changed personally and professionally?
- How might my family and friends think I have changed while I was abroad?
- What next steps do you see for advancing your career?
LinkedIn!
Create a LinkedIn account if you don’t already have one. This simple step can jumpstart your professional development and network. You can do this before you go, or when you are abroad. It’s a great way to put your professional self out there.
When You Return
When you get back from interning overseas, you’ll receive your official Internship Completion Certificate. And, you’ll want to read our CIS Abroad Career Guidebook. It has information on the following:
- Maximizing LinkedIn
- Tips on how to succeed at your next job interview
- Tips on how to use your study abroad experience to enhance your resume
Want to continue a career in international education when you return? Check out continued opportunities with CIS Abroad!
- Join our Alumni Ambassador program
- Become a CIS Abroad Institute Trainee, our innovative 12-month training program for the field
We are so excited for your journey and we are here for you. Now, may the force be with you and good luck!
Featured Intern Alumni:
“I had an incredible experience interning abroad in Barcelona. I learned important skills, such as flexibility and independence, both in life and in the workplace. The program offered the perfect balance of freedom and structure. I stayed in a homestay and would recommend this for immersion purposes. My house mom, like many others, didn’t speak English, which provided a stress-free opportunity to practice my Spanish daily. Barcelona is a truly incredible city and getting to know it has been one of the best experiences of my life.”
-Hannah L., Intern in Barcelona
What will be your testimonial?